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Baghdad To Check Syrian-Bound Iran Flights For Weapons


The Iraqi foreign minister says Iraq will ask Syria-bound Iranian planes passing through its airspace to land for random inspections after Washington said they could be carrying arms to Damascus.

Hoshiyar Zebari told the London-based "Al-Hayat" daily in an interview published on September 30 that U.S. officials had raised their concerns over the past few days on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings in New York.

Zebari said the U.S. officials had said any flights carrying weapons to Syria would break UN Security Council resolutions, and demanded Iraq stop them.

Iraq's Shi'ite-led government is close to regional Shi'ite power Iran.

Iran is one of the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime is dominated by members of the Alawite community, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

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